‘Willem Dafoe’ has been trending on Twitter for the past few days, why you ask?
Exhibit A
Willem Dafoe Photographed by Naomi Kaltman, 1999 https://t.co/0AuTYLtfO4
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) February 15, 2022
God damn!
Exhibit B
willem dafoe trending exactly pic.twitter.com/zgXg6CZfbW
— lesbian luffy (@cleoluvr) February 13, 2022
Some may say it’s strange that a 66-year-old man is being perceived as a sex symbol by the internet. Willem had his time, why do we care so much now, in 2022?
Willem Dafoe recently starred in Spider-Man: No Way Home, resurrecting his iconic role as the green goblin in the MCU. The $1.804 billion box office hit, shot Dafoe into the spotlight.
But Dafoe is no stranger to the public eye, so what seems to be happening is that, until now, the actor’s charisma, charm and good looks weren’t on the radar of Gen Z.
The internet is in love with Dafoe, so much so that Gill from Nemo is being fetishized. I never thought I’d have to type that out, but alas, here I am.
https://www.tiktok.com/@zukosabandonedponytail/video/6924473714281090309?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id6924475655456376325
And I never thought I’d have to watch a video like that.
Similar to the Keanu Reeves effect, the internet adopts an unassuming older man who isn’t seeking validation from the internet and validates the shiz out of them. Everything they do is praised and meme-ified. Almost like an inside joke for the internet, like iykyk.
Not to be that person… but I liked Willem Dafoe before it was cool.
Let me explain myself because I realize that Willem was cool before it was cool, and everyone over 25 already knows that he’s the realest. But listen, my dad actually worked pretty closely with Willem in February of 2020, and my dad had only lovely things to say about the actor, how kind, normal, and cool he was, which only reassures all of our preconceived opinions on the guy. But what makes this all so important, is that for Valentine’s day, my dad got Willem Dafoe to send my mom a video, wishing her a Happy Valentine’s. Now, if that doesn’t make my family have an immediate claim to the Willem Dafoe Fan club, I don’t know what does.
Willem Dafoe is adored because he’s a charismatic and intriguing character who isn’t hard on the eyes. He didn’t ask for this praise and that’s precisely why the internet is giving it to him.